This invention relates to insulated concrete wall systems, and more particularly to poured concrete wall systems in which a thermal insulation panel is joined to the concrete wall by an elongate retaining strip having edges engaging grooves formed in opposing vertical edges of the insulating panels.
Poured concrete walls are formed by pouring or pumping uncured concrete between rigid planar forms generally made of wood, aluminum, steel or a combination of these materials. Two series of coplanar forms are typically held in spaced-apart, parallel relationship by retaining ties to create a cavity in which the poured concrete wall is formed.
Poured concrete walls can be constructed more quickly and at a lower cost than comparable alternative wall structures, while providing excellent durability, structural integrity, and other aesthetic and functional characteristics. However, poured concrete walls have relatively poor thermal insulating properties, and methods for incorporating insulative material in a poured concrete wall often have been difficult, requiring excessive time, labor and cost. Some of these methods require unconventional wall forms which are more costly to obtain and use than conventional wall forms.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. U.S. 2001/0000844 A1 (incorporated in its entirety herein) describes an insulated concrete wall structure having embedded wall ties and a series of elongate retaining strips positioned between vertically spaced wall ties. Insulating panels are located between the horizontally spaced wall ties and are retained in position by the retaining strips. An advantage of this system is that an insulated poured concrete wall can be constructed using conventional wall forms in approximately the same amount of time as conventional uninsulated poured concrete walls. The resulting insulated poured wall system can be constructed at a lower cost than other known insulated poured concrete wall systems. Additionally, it is disclosed that the retaining strips allow building material such as drywall or paneling to be attached to the face of the insulating panels once the wall forms are removed and the wall is completed. However, this wall system is deficient in certain respects. First, the elongate retaining strips are not secured directly to the concrete wall, but instead are secured at opposite ends of the retaining strip to wall ties by notches formed in the wall ties. As a result, the elongate retainers are retained along their vertical edges between adjacent insulation panels and at their upper and lower edges between the notches in the vertically spaced-apart ties. This can allow some freedom of movement of the elongate retaining strips when building materials, especially heavy objects such as cabinets, are attached to the elongate retainers. In extreme cases, this can cause structures supported on the elongate retainers to pull away from the wall. Accordingly, there is a need for a more rigid insulation panel retainer that is capable of securely supporting heavier loads.
Another problem with the insulated concrete wall system disclosed by Patent Publication No. U.S. 2001/0000844 A1 is that it requires a plurality of elongate retaining strips between adjacent insulation panels. More specifically, one retaining strip is located between each set of vertically spaced-apart ties. The publication states that the height or length of the retaining strips is dependent upon the distance between adjacent ties, but is typically about one foot in length. Thus, for a typical poured concrete basement wall, eight retaining strips aligned vertically between adjacent insulation panels are needed. To reduce construction costs, it would be desirable to reduce the number of retainers that are required. Because the retainers are vertically spaced-apart, there are areas along the seam between adjacent insulation panels, in the vicinity of the ties, that are unavailable for engagement with a fastener to allow building materials to be attached. As a result, care must be taken to avoid locating fasteners in the area between vertically spaced-apart retaining strips when securing building materials such as drywall or paneling to the insulation panels.
Another disadvantage with the insulated concrete wall system described in United States Patent Application Publication U.S. 2001/0000844 A1 is that the flat surface of the elongate retaining strips can make it difficult to insert fasteners through the retaining strip. In particular, it can be difficult to initiate penetration of a drywall screw through the flat surface of the retaining strips.
The present invention provides an improved method of forming an insulated poured concrete wall, a system for forming an insulated poured concrete wall, and an insulated poured concrete wall. The invention allows insulated concrete walls to be formed more efficiently and at a lower cost by using fewer components. The invention also allows building materials such as drywall, siding, paneling, and the like, as well as heavier objects, such as cabinets, to be more stably and durably secured to the wall.
In accordance with one aspect of the invention, there is provided a system for forming an insulated poured concrete wall. The system includes spaced-apart wall forms forming opposing wall surfaces that define a cavity, a plurality of insulating panels arranged adjacent at least one of the opposing wall surfaces, and a plurality of elongate retaining strips between adjacent insulating panels, wherein each of the elongate retaining strips includes a portion that projects into the cavity.
In accordance with another aspect of this invention, a method of forming an insulated concrete wall is provided. The method includes arranging a plurality of wall forms in spaced relationship to form opposing wall surfaces defining a cavity, arranging insulating panels adjacent at least one of the opposing wall surfaces, arranging elongate retaining strips between adjacent insulating panels, wherein the elongate retaining strips engage edges of the insulating panels, and wherein a portion of each retaining strip projects into the cavity.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, there is provided an insulated poured concrete wall comprising a concrete wall having opposing wall surfaces, a plurality of spaced-apart, elongate retaining strips, the elongate retaining strips having a portion embedded in the concrete wall with the length direction of the retaining strips extending vertically. A plurality of insulating panels is provided, with each panel being held between laterally spaced-apart retaining strips.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a system for forming an insulated poured concrete wall includes spaced-apart wall forms forming opposing wall surfaces that define a cavity, a plurality of vertically and horizontally spaced-apart wall ties extending between the opposing wall forms, a plurality of insulating panels arranged adjacent at least one of the opposing wall surfaces, and a plurality of elongate retaining strips between adjacent insulating panels, with each elongated retaining strip having at least one notch through which a wall tie passes.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of forming an insulated poured concrete wall using a plurality of elongate retaining strips, wherein each elongate retraining strip includes at least one notch that allows a wall tie to pass through.
Another aspect of the invention provides an insulated poured concrete wall comprising a concrete wall having opposing wall surfaces, a plurality of vertically and horizontally spaced wall ties contained within the concrete wall and extending between the opposing wall surfaces, a plurality of insulating panels arranged adjacent at least one of the opposing wall surfaces, and a plurality of elongate retaining strips between adjacent insulating panels, each elongate retaining strip having at least one notch through which a wall tie passes.